Licensed Producers Exporting Products to Australia in 2017

G’day mate! It’s only a few days into May and two licensed producers under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations have announced shipments of cannabis products to Australia. On May 2nd, “global leader” in medical cannabis research and production Tilray announced that it had conducted its first import of medical cannabis products into the country.

“We are proud to be able to offer Australian patients in need access to high quality, pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products in accordance with quality standards mandated by the Australian government,” said Tilray’s President, Brendan Kennedy. “We commend the Australian government on its recent steps to legalize and regulate medical cannabis as well as to ensure patient access.”

What’s interesting about the Australian government enabling shipments of cannabis products into their country is that other jurisdictions have stuck primarily to the importation of CBD-based products, although the Australian government is in line with other jurisdictions by deciding to eschew the importation of plant-based products such as dried and fresh cannabis.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based licensed producer CanniMed also announced on May 2 that they have made their first shipment of cannabis oil to Perth, Australia-based company Health House International. The company said that it made a commercial shipment of 3,600 milliletres of its CanniMed Oil to the Australian company, and that they have been approved for an additional shipment of 360,000 milliliters of oil by the end of September 2017.

The company’s press release had CanniMed’s CEO describing future expansion plans. “This major milestone, just four months after our initial public offering, has CanniMed pacing six months ahead of schedule and increases our potential market to more than 60 million people. Our first international shipment of medical cannabis products for commercial use by pharmacists in Australia, and the receipt of three additional Australian import permits, positions CanniMed as a leading global provider of cannabinoid-based medicines,” said Brent Zettl, the president and CEO of CanniMed. “The Company is well-placed for this international expansion, in addition to serving the increasing number of Canadian patients who trust us to support their care.”